Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

The noble Baroness is quite right to pick me up on that. My language was loose. I will say what I said in the previous debate and at the beginning of this debate. There are two specific duties. In Clauses 1 and 2, we propose that people need to understand the democratic arrangements of public bodies so that they know how things work, how decisions are taken, how they can influence what happens, and how they can stand for the council. Clauses 3 and 4 focus on civic opportunities in which citizens can play a role as lay people. Therefore, this is not about governance arrangements; it is about the way in which they can get involved. The noble Baroness is right to pick me up on that. I hope that that is clear, and that the record will show that.